Across the Country
by CantThinkOfAUsername1029
Summary: When Max's dad leaves, leaving her and her mom alone, Max's mom feels it's a good idea to move all the way across the country. Leaving her friends behind, will she move on?
1. Saying Goodbye

"I-I'm really not sure, Mom," I mumbled, biting my lip. A nasty habit.

"But Max. This'll be the perfect time to start a new life, to get away," my mom, Valencia Martinez, reasoned almost in a pleading way. She was suggesting we leave warm and sunny Arizona for cold and rainy Maine. I honestly wasn't too keen on the idea. I had friends here, a life. Well, I did. Let me explain.

I'm Maximum Martinez. I'm 15, turning 16 in around two months. I live in Arizona with my mom and- Just my mom now. My dad had up and left us around half a year ago. He was a scientist, working for The Institute of Higher Living. Until one day, he just left, no note, no call, no anything. He disappeared, and we haven't seen him since. My mom and I were broken. Even though he was usually cooped up in his study, he was the person I looked up to and could talk to. And when he left, I hardly talked to anyone. I bottled up everything I was feeling and made myself more distant. But the thing I found release in was singing and playing guitar. Of course, I never let anyone hear except my close friends. Anyway, that brings us to today.

"But I have friends here, Mom," I retaliated, my voice turning more defensive. The last thing I needed was to move across the country.

"I understand, sweetie. But after he left," Mom's voice faded off and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Great, now I felt guilty. I bit my lip, once again, and looked down.

"Can I just think it over?" I questioned, my voice soft. She nodded quickly, a small, almost nonexistent, smile crossed her lips. I sighed, trudging up to my room. Changing into a tank top and flannel pants, my mind was racing. Once I was done, I flopped down on my bed, face first. What was I going to do? This was the biggest decision I had ever had to make. And the worst part? I was completely torn. There was staying here with my friends, but having almost everything reminding me of what happened. And then there was leaving everyone behind, but also leaving behind what happened. I groaned into my pillow. It was too late for this, 2:47. I rolled over on my side and wished for sleep to come, to no avail.

I lied there after figuring I wouldn't get any sleep for what felt like hours, mulling over my options. Right now, leaving was winning. But it never stayed that way long. I had gone between both options more times to count. It was now around 6:30. Why couldn't I choose? This seemed like such a simple decision. But in reality, it was the hardest. I sighed and climbed out of bed.

Striding down the stairs, I noticed my mom was already up and looked just about as tired as I was.

"Hey Mom," I muttered, walking into the kitchen. I stuck some waffles in the toaster and waited not so patiently.

"Did you make your decision?" she asked. I turned to face her fully and nodded hesitantly.

"I want to leave," I said quietly, looking down. A slightly shocked expression was turned into one of glee.

"Thank you Max. I'll start planning," Mom said gratefully, smiling while she talked. I nodded once again and smiled back at her. But this one wasn't fully genuine. I had to leave all my friends behind, the few that I had. Ella, Danny, Andy, and Jenna. That was it. But they were the best people to meet. Ella was the most girly of our group. She had long, slightly wavy deep brown hair and chocolate eyes. Danny was from Britain with a great sense of humor, but he was slightly obnoxious. He had unruly orange hair and blue-green eyes. Andy was the one with the best smile. He had pitch black, straight hair that slashed across his face and bright blue eyes. Jenna was the nicest. She had natural bleach blond hair that feel to her shoulders and deep brown eyes. Thinking about them made sadness wash over me. I had to say goodbye to them, no matter how much I resented it.

"Mom! I'm going on a walk!" I yelled up to her in her room. I heard a muffled 'Alright' from behind the closed door. I rushed up to my room and threw on a Black Veil Brides t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and my black and white converse. I snatched up my phone and began to type.

_To: Andy, Danny, Ella, Jenna_

_ Drop everything and come to the park!_

I pressed the send button and darted out of my house. Running to the park, I saw Ella walking just ahead of me in her white sundress and sandals.

"Ella!" I practically screamed to her. She looked startled, looking around wildly. She finally saw me and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey Max. You scared me there for a second," she said smiling.

"You seen the rest?" I questioned her. Knowing what I was implying, she shook her head. "Well, maybe they're already there," I positively said, dragging her behind me.

Soon after reaching the park, the others started showing up. First was Andy, then Jenna, and lastly Danny.

"This better be good," Danny mumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear. I shot him the bird and started explaining.

"Well, as you all know, my dad left around six months ago," I began. "And, we're moving to Maine to start over," I explained quickly, looking down. I looked up shyly and gauged their reactions. All of shock.

"Maine is across the country!" Andy yelled, his usually goofy self gone.

"I know that, nimrod. Unlike you, I pay attention in Geography," I retaliated, glaring at him. Ella was next to speak.

"You can't go, Max. You're the one who brought us all together, remember?" She spoke softly, almost inaudible.

_Flashback_

Where do I sit? I'm so confused!_ I thought as I glanced throughout the new, and much more crowded, lunchroom. It was the first day of high school and I was completely lost. In the far corner, was an abandoned table. Finally. I strode over to it and plopped down in one of the chairs. I was beginning to eat, until someone came up to me. I raised an eyebrow at __him__, silently questioning. _

_ "This seat taken?" The boy asked. He had pitch black hair __that slashed across his face__ and clear blue eyes. __I think he was in my math and art class. He was a wicked artist.__ I shook my head and he sat down across from me. _

_ "So what's your name?" He asked awkwardly, a small smile grazing his lips. _

_ "Max, you?" I responded._

_ "Andy. That's an unusual name for a girl. Is it short for something?" He asked, causing me to nod._

_ "Maximum. Don't call me that though," I gave him one of my icy glares. He put his hands up in the __universal sign of surrender, his smile only growing bigger. This caused me to smile. _We are going to be great friends,_ I thought, continuing to eat, as did he. Soon after, a nervous looking girl came over._

_ "Um, sorry, but can I sit here? My friends don't want me sitting with them anymore apparently," the girl said. She had bleach blond hair and deep brown eyes. I gestured to one of three empty seats and she thanked me. _

_ "I'm Jenna," she said, smiling widely._

_ "Max."_

_ "Andy."_

_ "Sorry to interrupt, my friends kicked me out because I don't like Justin Bieber or One Direction," she informed, rolling her eyes. I laughed._

_ "Don't worry about it, you should fit in fine here," I said. "Wait, do you like them, Andy?" I asked Andy, a smirk on my face. A look of horror crossed his face._

_ "How dare you intend I like those screeching girls!" He yelled. I only laughed harder at his response, and soon we were all laughing_

_ "I'm sitting here!" A boy with a British accent announced, sitting down next to Jenna. We all looked at him, but he continued to eat, not paying any attention to us. _

_ "__Well okay then," I responded to this boy's random outburst. "I'm Max, the boy's Andy, and the girl's Jenna. Mind telling us who you are?" I asked the boy with unruly orange hair and blue-green eyes_

_ "Danny," he said shortly. I shrugged, not really caring if he sat here. _

_ "Alright, Danny. Who's better? Asking Alexandria or Eminem?" I asked Danny._

_ "What kind of question is that? Totally Asking Alexandria!" I nodded, satisfied with his answer. Not too long after, a girl in a light blue sundress came up to our group of five. _

_ "There's no where else to sit, do you mind if I sit here?" She asked quietly, looking down._

_ "Go ahead," __I told her,__ gesturing to the only seat left between Andy and Danny. She thanked me and sat down. _

_ "I'm Ella."_

_ We went around introducing ourselves, trying to get to know each other better. And little did I know then, that these would be the people who would be my best friends for as long as I lived._

_ End Flashback_

"Now that I think of it, you guys all came to me," I said shyly. "I promise to visit, text, call, Skype, whatever. But I really have to go."

"I understand, Max. That's the reason I moved here. I'll miss you, I think we all will," Jenna chided, a look of understanding upon her face. I nodded, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes.

"I'll miss you all," I responded, my voice cracking near the end. Each one of them brought me in for a hug, and that was our final goodbye. They all walked me home, talking about all the good memories we had.

**A/N Oh my gawd. That was sad. I was listening to The Morticians Daughter while writing the ending. I'm gonna cry. Some of you might've picked up on this but Andy is based on Andy Beirsack from BVB, Danny is based on Danny Worsnop from Asking Alexandria, and Jenna is based on Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive. Ella is from the book. Yeah. I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!**

**~WretchedAndDivine**


	2. The River

We were leaving tomorrow. These last two days, I hadn't slept at all. Huge bags had collected under my eyes and I looked like death itself. My eyes were red and puffy from all the crying I had been doing. And I usually didn't cry. That tells you how much I resented the move, even though I had a choice. I just hope this was the correct choice. I had to leave everyone behind, even though it was a small group. Just thinking about them made tears come to my eyes. I had done more crying these last two days then I had in a year. I threw my head into my knees, groaning. I hated this, being vulnerable, weak. I was Maximum Ride, strong, fierce, and _did not_ cry. But I wasn't myself anymore. I was allowing my emotions to get to me, something I rarely ever did.

"Max?" My mom asked me, interrupting my thoughts. She was coming down the stairs, presumably from her bedroom.

"Yeah?" I questioned, my voice hoarse. A look of worry crossed her face, and she rushed over to me. She sat down on the plush couch and drew me close to her.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to anymore," she mumbled into my hair. I shook my head in response, wanting her to be happy. I felt her sigh.

"You don't have to do this just to make me happy, you know." She knew me too well. I, too, sighed, and got up.

"I'm going to start packing," I muttered before trudging up to my room.

Boxes and boxes later, I was fully packed. My room was now completely bare, nothing to fill the empty, lonely space. I turned my back on the room where so many memories lay, and shut the door, also shutting out those recollections. Pacing down the stairs, I noticed my mom talking to a strange man. He wasn't the skinniest man, with thinning and graying hair. He must be here to help us move. She seemed to be deep in conversation, talking animatedly. I passed quietly, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to myself. Passing through the kitchen, I immediately headed for the backdoor. I walked out, the brisk autumn air attacked my skin. My face was stoic as I jogged over to the forest in our backyard. Another thing I didn't want to leave behind. I knew this small forest like the back of my hand. Starting to run, I found what I was looking for. The river, I went to it when ever I wanted to be alone. Sitting just on the edge, I let my shoeless feet dangle carelessly over the edge, my toes just barely skimming the surface of the crystal water. I smiled, reminiscing all the memories of this river.

_Flashback_

_ Tears streamed down my face, my arms pumping by my sides and legs burning. It had been just over a month after my dad left, and we figured he wasn't coming back, ever. He left us with nothing. No note, call, anything. We, my mom and I, had noticed he was in his study a lot more than usual, but we brushed it off as nothing. And here I was, __running through the dense forest, hoping to get away from my problems. My father used to take me out here, explaining everything I didn't fully understand. More tears cascaded down my face as I ran even faster. Coming across the river he used to take me to, I halted. Slowly making my way towards the edge, I looked down into the crystal water. I could clearly see my reflection still, after all these years. I sat down on the bank, my bare toes skimming the water. Tears still spilled down my face, but my breathing had calmed down significantly. That is, until I heard a rustling noise. I whipped around, on guard. My body was tense and my eyes wide. I was just about ready to attack, until he stumbled, and fell, out of the bushes. I sighed at Andy, turning back around. _

_ "__Hey! Your mom said you'd be out here," he shouted, running over to me. I shrugged in response, not looking into his eyes that rivaled the stream. _

_ "What's wrong?" He questioned, a genuine worried expression painted on his face. _

_ "It's nothing," I mumbled, still not looking at him. _

_ "Bull shit," he responded. His new black lip rings glinted in the sun ever time he talked. _

_ Sighing, I knew he wasn't going to leave until he got a legitimate answer. "My dad left. No note, call, anything." _

_ I glanced at him, and a blank look was on his face, which soon turned into rage. His teeth clenched as well as his fists. He looked at me, a sad expression. Knowing me best, he brought me into a __hug, understanding I didn't want to talk. He rubbed my back soothingly, not saying a word. Andy was truly like a brother to me. Always there for me and comforting me. _

_ What felt like hours later, the sun was setting. Soft light filtered through the leaves, casting a worming glow. _

_ "Hey," he mumbled, "we should get back."_

_ I nodded, and he helped me up, offering his hand. I took it gratefully, and we started walking back to the house. _

_ "Thanks, I mean it," I said out of no where. He smiled at me, a sight that could light up the world. I, too, smiled and soon we were both full out grinning._

_End__Flashback _

New tears formed at the corners of my eyes, thinking about him. He was always there when I needed him, no matter what. A rustling sound came from behind me, but instead of being alarmed, I couldn't be happier. I turned, and there he was. I didn't care how stupid I looked, I ran into his arms. Andy caught me and wrapped his arms around me.

"I knew you'd be here," he said, a smile on his face.

"I wish I could stay longer," I mumbled into his black v-neck. He nodded, and his face was now grim. "I'll miss you, all of you."

"Likewise." We stood there, just like after my dad left, until the sun was setting.

**A/N I promise you, there will be no romantic relationship between Andy and Max. They consider each other like siblings. Yeah. I forgot to add Andy had lip rings in the last chapter, so I mentioned it in this one. Max is closest to Andy _because_ she considers him a brother. I think that's all. I hoped you all liked it, and review!**

**~WretchedAndDivine**


	3. IMPORTANT AN!

**VERY IMPORTANT!**

**So, I don't know if I can carry on with this story. In my opinion, it was poorly written and I didn't really have a direction for it. Plus, I kind of lost interest... :/ Sorry to disappoint the few readers I had. But, on a much happier note, I'm starting a new story! Yay! I don't know what it's going to be about, but it'll be out soon (either today or tomorrow). So, I am so very sorry, especially to BvBina, for ending this story. But keep your eyes peeled for the next c:**

**~WretchedAndDivine**


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